Containers have been used for decades to provide a safe, convenient and cost effective means for storing food products and beverages (hereinafter “food”). Generally, the consumable food is processed, placed in a container, and vacuum packed. In addition, some foods are post processed by heating or retorting to a predetermined temperature to further insure pathogen elimination. Since it is difficult to visually ascertain the state of contents inside opaque containers, it is desirable to provide a storage container which employs a means to indicate to the consumer that the internal pressure of the container has lost its vacuum, thereby indicating possible spoilage, tampering, or that the airtight seal has been compromised.
However, some canning techniques and processes require post-heating to destroy bacteria, which results in the presence of a positive internal pressure within the container. Thus, there is a significant need for an indication device that warns the public of spoilage when the container is not vacuum-sealed. Another drawback to traditional indication devices is that they are often very subtle, wherein it may be totally overlooked by the consumer. Further, some consumers may choose to take the risk that the warranty indicator is incorrect or that the contents are still acceptable, thus creating a significant health risk. Thus, there is a need for a substantially failsafe indicator device that substantially prevents a user from opening the container.
Anaerobic (bacterium that do not need oxygen to survive), and aerobic, (those bacterium that require oxygen for survival), occur frequently in nature. Both types produce byproducts as the result of their normal respiratory cycle such as water and carbon dioxide. Fortunately, most forms of bacteria are innocuous or even helpfull to mankind. However, some are harmful to man and may cause gastrointestinal discomfort or death in the young, elderly, and infirm. For example, a substantial percentage of the cases of clostridium botulism, a potentially harmful toxin generated by the activities of some bacteria, can be directly linked to the improper canning of food.
Thus there is a long-felt and unresolved need in the field of food preparation and storage to provide a container that is employed with a means to quickly and reliably identify food spoilage, and which substantially inhibits a consumer from gaining access to the contaminated contents therein by use of a conventional can opener. Furthermore, there is a significant need for a deformable indicator device which is used with pressurized containers and which selectively deform when a predetermined increase in pressure occurs.